Shadow of war hangs over Ethiopia’s Meskel festival celebrations
Addis Ababa, EthiopiaReuters The shadow of war hung over Ethiopia’s Meskel festival in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, with high security, low turnout and Orthodox Christian priests calling for peace and forgiveness in their sermons. The event – usually a joyous affair where huge crowds gather around bonfires – marks the moment when the 4th century […]
StrangeSights: World’s oldest tortoise; a giant skillet hits the highway; and, a piece of New York history for sale…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
In France’s overseas territories, Napoleon’s legacy has a more troublesome side
Reunion Island, FranceReuters When France commemorates the bicentenary of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death on 5th May, Aurelie Ramassamy will remember a tyrant who reversed the abolition of slavery rather than an emperor often lionised as a hero for his battlefield triumphs. Like most Creoles on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, one of France’s overseas departments, Ramassamy is […]